The present invention generally relates to the field of unit testing of information handling system components and provision of data images, and particularly to a data image cache.
The assembly and manufacture of information handling systems and components is extremely competitive, even slight advantages return significant gains when multiplied over the vast quantities of units sold. One important factor in the purchase of an information handling system by a consumer is the reliability of the system. To insure this reliability, manufacturers and assemblers test components and systems for operability within desired parameters. For example, unit testing of individual information handling system components, such as PCI components and the like, typically involves installing a driver for the component and rebooting. This may be prone to inconsistent results caused by a poor or incorrect installation, remnants of other drivers and installations, and the like. These inconsistent results may cause an inoperable information handling system and/or components being shipped, thereby greatly increasing the cost to the manufacturer in the return and repair of the system as well as resulting in great inconvenience to the consumer.
One way to promote efficient and effective testing of the components is to create a data image for each test. The data images may be stored for access by devices needing the data image, such as on a master system that is accessible by each testing device in a device testing system. However, due to the size of the data images, for example, a data image size may be 100 Mb and greater, it may take a considerable amount of time to transmit the data images over a network.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide an image system and method that may reduce the time and network traffic required in transferring a data image.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a system and method of providing a data image cache. In a first aspect of the present invention, a system suitable for transferring data images includes an image cache suitable for being accessed locally, the image cache suitable for storing at least one data image. Image storage is connected to the image cache over a network, the image storage including a plurality of data images. Wherein, a query is received by the image cache for a data image not included in the image cache, a data image corresponding to the queried data image is transferred from the image storage to the image cache over the network.
In a second aspect of the present invention, a method for storing data images includes receiving a request for a data image. An image cache is queried for the requested data image, wherein if the data image is not included in the image cache, image storage is queried for the requested data image. The image storage is connected to the image cache over a network. The requested data image is transferred to the image cache from the image storage, wherein when there is insufficient storage space to store the requested data image on the image cache, a preexisting data image is deleted.
In a third aspect of the present invention, a system for transferring data images includes an information handling system including an image cache suitable for being accessed locally. The image cache is suitable for storing at least one data image. An image server including image storage is connected to the information handling system over a network. The image storage includes a plurality of data images. Wherein a plurality of data images transferred from the image server are utilized by the information handling system, a first data image is stored on the image cache which is utilized more recently by the information handling system than a second data image.
It is to be understood that both the forgoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the general description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.